Last night, a small group of hard-core Mumford & Sons fans gathered at NYC’s (le) poisson rogue for the hottest ticket in town, an intimate secret show announced by the Grammy winning folk-rock band only 24 hours before. The 700-member audience, studded with celebrities and music industry professionals, grew more excited as each moment  drew closer to the band’s entrance. The price for the event itself was right at $40 a ticket, that is if you were lucky enough to get a ticket before they quickly sold out only minutes after going on sale. And as the four gentlemen of Mumford & Sons took the stage, the energy in the small Greenwich Village venue was electric.

There were however, two glaring, catches at the sold out performance, and the first occurred before crowd members set foot in the venue itself. Upon checking in, all audience members were required to hand over their cell phones, as per the band’s request. This was due to the second catch of the evening, the fact that Mumford & Sons would be previewing new music off of their upcoming unreleased album, Wilder Mind, and they did not want it recorded or released to the public. What I didn’t realize is that only new music would be played, the only song that the crowd was familiar with was their recently released single “Believe”. Those in attendance essentially became human guinea pigs for the band as they tested out new material on us and gaged our reaction accordingly. Marcus Mumford even offered his thanks to us all for doing so.

The intimate secret show last night was very interesting to say the least and while I cannot tell you the tempos or styles of any particular song that was played last night, it’s safe to say this. If the song selection at last night’s show is any indication, then expect the band to stick with the identity that they have already established. For some, it may be disappointing to hear that their song-writing style did not morph, grow, or evolve into something new and fresh since the release of their widely praised album Babel. However, it was still very cool to see such a larger than life band in an intimate setting and so appreciative of their fans. Although the music they played left something to be desired, Mumford & Sons succeeded in putting on a good ol’ rock show at an unlikely venue.  It was nice to see a band that famous give back to their biggest fans and supporters, it is certainly an experience they will not forget. 

See below for last night’s set list:

 

– Marisa Frydman (@musicalmarisa)